Vegetarian Atlas

Meat[less] Loaf

What I've Learned So Far

There's really no substitute for meat. There's plenty of products out there you can use as alternatives - they'll be tasty, provide protein, and fill you up without anyone taking a trip to the slaughterhouse - but they're not quite meat. My husband once said the difference between meat and alternatives, is that meat "bites back." He's right - it's mostly about texture. Meat alternatives are usually "softer" than meat. Because you're not biting through and chewing flesh and muscle. That said, I've found that meat substitutes can be used quite effectively in many conventional recipes, and while the texture may not be exact, the taste can be very satisfying - even for a meat eater. This meat[less] loaf is one of those recipes.

I learned a trick from my mom to make really tasty meatloaf. Most recipes will call for 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of ground beef. My mom always substituted ground sausage for half of that. It gave an amazing flavor to the meatloaf, and I still use that trick now - using a ground beef AND ground sausage substitute. Thanks Mom!

The Recipe

You'll Need:

• 2 eggs

• 3/4 C milk

• 1/2 C dry bread crumbs

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 2 tsp dried parsley

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 roll Gimme Lean veggie beef

• 1 roll Gimme Lean veggie sausage

• 1/4 C catsup

• 2 Tbl brown sugar

• 1 tsp dried mustard

Do This:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Whisk together eggs and milk in a large bowl.
3. Stir in breadcrumbs, onion powder, parsley, salt and sage.
4. Add veggie beef and veggie sausage; mix well (it's easiest if you use your hand).
5. Pat mixer into an 8x4x2 loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
6. Combine catsup, sugar and mustard.
7. Spread over loaf and return to the over for 10 minutes.

Recipe Notes

• You don't have to use purchased breadcrumbs. You can use a food processor to make delicious breadcrumbs from fresh bread.

• Just like real meatloaf, leftovers from this dish make amazing sandwiches!

• You might want to make some extra catsup/brown sugar/mustard topping - it tastes so good you'll want more.
• If you can't fine the rolls of ground meat/sausage, try any ground beef alternative - it should still work.